Always
by monkeyCsaw
Summary: She was his last apprentice, and his best apprentice. He was with her every pawstep of the way, and now she stood beside him in the last lesson life had to offer. One-shot for Warriors Challenge Forum.


**Hurro, been a while since I posted a new story, eh? So, another one-shot written for Warriors Challenge Forum, this time for my former apprentice, Wolfspirit's "Adventures in Mentoring" challenge. I was to write about Hailclaw and his apprentice, Mosspaw, as well as a problem they struggled with (mine being a parent's legacy). Enjoy :)**

* * *

"Mosspaw!"

A she-cat's slim head shot up, light green eyes blinking rapidly as she fought to wake up. Her fur stuck up in strange places and her jaws gaped in a huge yawn, exposing sharp fangs and a pink tongue. She narrowed her eyes to slits at the tom's head that was poked into the apprentice den, blue eyes sharp.

"Yes, Hailclaw?" she mumbled, rising to her long legs shakily. She began to pick her way around the other apprentices, choosing each step with great care.

The warrior watched as she came forward, withdrawing to wait for her. He raised his light blue eyes skyward to watch as the sky slowly lightened. The Clan was just barely beginning to awaken. He could hear the soft purrs of queens soothing fretful kittens, warriors preparing themselves for another day, and an elder grumbling about the heat. He soaked this morning in, tucking it away in his memory. It was a peaceful, beautiful morning to be appreciated.

"Hailclaw." The gentle voice of his apprentice brought him back down to earth. He blinked at her, disoriented for the smallest moment before getting to his paws and beckoning her with his tail.

"Come," he ordered curtly. "We have battle training to be done."

He set a brisk pace for the entrance, knowing full well what would happen if they waited any longer. Mosspaw followed without complaint, ears flattened and eyes on the ground. She knew as well.

But they were too late. A ginger flash halted Hailclaw in his steps and he glared at the long-furred ginger tom blocking their path. "Out of the way, Hawkpaw," he growled, a warning to all but the hot-tempered apprentice.

"Taking _her_ for battle training, huh? Why bother? Her father probably taught her how to kill," the tom sneered, tail waving behind him and eyes glinting with glee. Hailclaw took a threatening step forward, towering over Hawkpaw while placing himself in front of Mosspaw at the same time.

"None of your concern. Shouldn't you be with your mentor either way?" he answered coolly.

"It is his concern, from what I can see," a lazy voice drawled. Hailclaw sighed inwardly as another tabby tom strutted up, face smug. "As her Clanmate, it is only right he be concerned for his safety."

Hailclaw nearly clawed his nose off. "You're an idiot," he hissed. "Mosspaw didn't have anything to do with Skylight's exile, you know that, Brambletail."

"Do I?" A dangerous glint entered Brambletail's amber eyes. "We all though Skylight was like any other warrior and look how that turned out" –his voice rose to a yowl- "he betrayed his entire Clan! How do we know his daughter won't do the same?"

Hailclaw felt his haunch muscles bunching as he prepared to leap. The fur along his spine rose and he bared his teeth. "Hailclaw," Mosspaw murmured, brushing up beside him, "it's not worth it."

His ears flattened and he tore his gaze away from the other warrior, turning instead to his apprentice who trembled at his side with eyes hardened with resolve. "Mosspaw," he began but her eyes dropped and he sighed, straightening and forcing his hackles down. "Fine."

He steered her around them, ignoring their jibes and taunts, and made for the entrance once more. Once out in the forest, he turned to her, blue eyes sharp and probing. "You shouldn't put up with it, Mosspaw."

She shrugged and he went on. "Just because Skylight…your father…killed those cats doesn't mean you are the same. You have your mother's blood as well."

"Yeah, and she was a ShadowClan cat!" Her head jerked up and her green eyes sparked with a fury he hadn't known she possessed. "I'm half-Clan scum with a traitor father. No wonder they hate me!"

He gaped at her and her ears flattened once more. She turned her glare away, staring instead at a tree. Her tail-tip twitched and her jaw worked as she attempted to cool down. Hailclaw turned her head with his tail gently, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Mosspaw," he began firmly, "you are not and never will be scum. Don't you dare ever, _ever_, think that or say that again, understand?"

"Bu-"

"No. You. Are. Not. Scum. Do you hear me?"

She nodded, relaxing. He took his tail away and sighed, slumping a little before he stood. "We still have battle-training," he purred and she brightened, bouncing at his side once more.

They returned a little after sun-high with pieces of prey dangling from their jaws. Her eyes gleamed triumphantly and he watched with some amusement as she stalked past Hawkpaw purposefully and dropped her prey slowly and deliberately. The entire Clan knew the ginger tom couldn't hunt despite all his mentor's efforts.

* * *

"Mosslight, Mosslight!"

Hailclaw could explode with pride was the Clan chanted her name to the sky. She raised her chin, looking fierce and victorious with the sun behind her, outlining her with a halo of rosy light. Her green eyes shone and Hailclaw shouted her name the loudest. His apprentice had become a warrior, a graceful, skilled warrior at that. She looked beautiful and strong at their leader's side; her muscles moved sinuously beneath sleek brown fur. Her long tail stuck straight up and her dainty paws hardly made a sound as she trotted towards him, mouth open in a laugh. And all at once, he remembered her just a few moons ago, with fur sticking up in an untidy mess, laughing at him when he slipped while battle-training, glowing much as she did now. And he realized that, all along, this was the cat she was destined to be.

"Hailclaw," she purred, her voice deep and smooth and melodious. "Aren't you proud?"

He laughed with her, pushing his nose into her shoulder fur. "Prouder than any mentor ever was," he promised, voice thick with emotion. He withdrew, gazing into her eyes affectionately. "Proud indeed, Mosslight. You have become an extraordinary warrior."

She tilted her head, soaking his praise in just like she did in her apprentice days. She had earned her spot in the Clan; as her Clanmates surrounded her, congratulating her and wishing her luck, he saw their shared pride and joy. Once, all he had seen was spite and distrust; now, these cats trusted her with their lives. The queens asked her to play with their kits because she was just so good with them. Warriors asked her for a patrol the next day. Apprentices begged for a fighting lesson, for her skills in battle had become as legendary as her former mentors'. Mosslight had become well-liked among the Clan and she answered everyone kindly, humbly, happily. As for Hawkwing, a newly named warrior as well, he approached her meekly, right ear crooked and eyes darting every which way.

"Er, good job, Mosslight," he stammered. She turned to him, not dimming in the slightest as she answered cheerfully.

"You too, Hawkwing!"

He straightened at that and Hailclaw watched with some amusement as he stuttered out another sentence, asking Mosslight to "help him with his hunting" the next day. Even Hailclaw could see that the tom was hopelessly in love with his former apprentice. Mosslight agreed enthusiastically and Hailclaw realized that this was what made her so well-liked; her optimism and never-ending enthusiasm.

She turned back to him and he eyed the sinking sun. "Better go get in position," he warned and she nodded, but only took a step forward.

"Hailclaw," she began and she faltered. He waited patiently and she sucked in a deep breath. "I wanted to thank you. For supporting me and helping me and, well, not giving up. Do you remember when you told me that I wasn't scum and to never believe I was?"

He nodded.

"That stuck with me all these moons. Every time the training got hard, I just stood up and remembered that you believed in me…and so I believed in me too. So, thank you, for not leaving after my father's exile. You helped me more than you'll ever know."

Hailclaw's purr was choked and he had to look away so she didn't see the emotion in his eyes. "Well, off you go," he rumbled gruffly, white fur ruffled uneasily. "You're a warrior now, no time for a cranky elder like me. Go on, your vigil is starting." She chuckled and darted forward, licking his cheek, before setting off for the entrance to camp where Hawkwing waited for her. They settled down and as the Clan went to sleep, Hailclaw watched the moonlight pour onto his former apprentice's fur, bleaching it silver.

She would be his last apprentice. His joints were stiff and Hailclaw could feel his age creeping through his body, freezing his bones. He had served as the Clan's best fighter for many, many seasons; it was time he rested.

* * *

Screams split the air. Howls of agony rose and fell and Hailclaw could only watch from the elder's den as his Clan fought for their freedom, fought to keep their territory out of ShadowClan's claws. He growled at his helplessness, remembering the days when he'd be on the front lines, his enemies cowering before his long claws. A screech, higher than the others, sent his head turning towards the nursery.

Mosslight tussled with a tom twice her size, ears flat and teeth bared in a terrible snarl. Her eyes shot fire at the tom as she spat and hissed, refusing to let him past. Hailclaw watched as her mate threw himself at the tom, knocking him away from his mate and pushing her back towards the nursery. "Stay with our kits!" Hawkwing yowled. Mosslight didn't enter but crouched just outside the entrance.

Three enemy cats cornered her. Mosslight growled and snapped but they refused to back away. Two of them engaged her in combat while the other held back, waiting until she was duly distracted to get in the nursery and…

Hailclaw growled low in his chest. Not if he could help it. He launched himself forward, muscles and bones creaking. He may be old, but he could still raise a claw to help a Clanmate. Especially Mosslight and her family.

He lashed at the coward who didn't dare attack. "You're not a warrior," he growled, "you're a mouse!"

"Hailclaw!"

He spun to see that one of the cats, a burly tom, had broken past Mosslight and was making a break for the nursery. "He'll kill them!" she cried, eyes wild and claws slashing as she struggled to stop him.

In a heartbeat, Hailclaw saw the apprentice she had been; strong, solid, reliable. He saw the warrior she was; skilled, loyal, faithful. He saw her as a mother, gentle and loving. And he saw her as the leader she would be someday, honorable and wise. Before he knew what he was doing, he had jumped and landed on the other tom. "You'll never touch those kits so long as I'm alive!" he yowled furiously.

The tom's yellow eyes blazed with malice and he sneered. "Is ThunderClan so desperate they send their elders to battle? How pathetic."

Hailclaw drew himself up to his full height. "I am Hailclaw of ThunderClan, and while I may be an elder, I'll always be young enough to defeat the likes of you!" he spat venomously before throwing himself at the ShadowClan warrior. The growls of his former apprentice were distant as he fought.

Their battle seemed to last for hours. Hailclaw was soon heaving for breath and his blows were becoming slow and clumsy. Age had taken its toll on his muscles and he was weakening rapidly. He stumbled ever so slightly as the tom clawed open his chest. Hailclaw coughed up blood but clenched his jaw. He kept going, stronger than before. He pushed himself for one final struggle. He lashed his claws out, catching the tom across the neck. His opponent staggered, stumbling over his paws as the blood poured from the wound. Hailclaw stood, triumphant, before slumping as well.

"ShadowClan, retreat!" A faint spark of triumph lifted Hailclaw's head and he sighed, relieved, before collapsing. His white fur was covered in dirt and blood. His throat was slit and his chest wound continued to leak blood onto the ground beneath him. The world spun.

"Hailclaw!" Mosslight's panicked mew hammered against his head and he blinked up at her, struggling to focus on her eyes.

"Mosslight," he rasped. "Your kits?"

"Not a scratch," she purred, choked and desperate to keep the tears building in her eyes from falling. He gazed up at her, tired eyes affectionate even as they began to dim. He knew what was happening. He knew he would never see another dawn, never play with her kits again. And he was okay with that. As long as she was beside him on this last lesson in life just as he had been beside her every pawstep of the way in her apprenticeship.

"Hey," he whispered faintly, "don't cry. You're a mother and someday, you'll be leader. Just promise me one thing." His seconds were counted now. He could feel his life drifting away. _Just one minute more. _

"Anything, Hailclaw," she answered quietly, pleading with her eyes for him to stay. But he couldn't. His time had come in the best way he knew. He had gone down fighting.

"Always…always believe in yourself."

Mosslight nodded furiously. "Always, Hailclaw, always."

He purred and felt himself relaxing. The world was fading and the last image of this world would be Mosslight, his last and best apprentice. Somehow, that seemed right. "Good," he sighed. "You'll make a wonderful leader, Mosslight. I know you will. I know you will…"

His voice drifted away and his eyes closed. He felt his heart beat once, twice, then stop. Mosslight's beautiful voice surrounded him and lifted him to somewhere higher than the earth, somewhere where his bones didn't ache anymore.

She had been his last apprentice. And she had been the last cat he ever said good bye to.

But good-byes don't last forever, not always. He would see her again, many, many seasons in future. And he would have new stories to preach and new lessons to teach.


End file.
